20-year-old Yuvelis Natalia Morales is fighting fracking in Colombia, hear her story on April 29

Click here to register to hear Yuvelis Natalia Morales speak on April 29.

Twenty-year-old Yuvelis Natalia Morales is a member of the Committee for the Defence of Water, Life and Territory of Puerto Wilches (AguaWil).

The group was formed to stop fracking in the community of Puerto Wilches, which is situated in the department of Santander in the Magdalena Medio region.

To date, two fracking pilot projects have been approved near Puerto Wilches: the ExxonMobil Platero project and the Ecopetrol Kale project.

This past week, Calgary-based Canacol Energy welcomed this news and announced it is conducting tests to also pursue fracking in the area.

Yuvelis’ activism against fracking has had unfair consequences.

On January 29, 2021, in the evening hours, two unknown men broke into her home and threatened her with death warning they “could kill her any day.”

She was with her sister at the time.

Yuvelis says: “My mom told me I had to leave the house because by coming to kill me, they were going to kill them all. I cried every night. And there has been so much pressure that I am hiding here, but continuing the fight, away from the river that saw me born, saw me walk, taught me to walk and has fed me fish and dreams.”

Hear Yuvelis on April 29

Yuvelis will be speaking about her opposition to fracking on a bilingual webinar happening on Thursday April 29 at 2:30 pm COL/3:30 pm EDT.

Click here to register for this webinar.

Visibility and international solidarity are important tools to protect at-risk environmental defenders in Colombia.

“We defend water because it is the most important resource on which our community depends.” Image by CREDHOS.